the memory remains
by anarchyisthenewblack
Summary: (auverse, no wrestling in this one, !kid/teen dean, ofc) This is the story of how Dean met Phoenix and their ups and downs as friends. Drabble series, prequel to a fanfic I'm working on currently, and yes, it's named after metallica songs. reviews are loved.
1. Chapter 1

~ authors note ~

**So I've seen a few of these on the site. They're all probably much better than this one I'm about to attempt writing will be, but this idea wouldn't leave me alone. I gave it plenty of chance to disappear, because like I said, there are tons more and better Dean Ambrose stories/series on here than mine.  
**

**But I've loved the guy for a while now, just never had the courage to dive in and write things from his pov, or anything, because he's a sort of dark type person.. Here's hoping this will not be a total fail. The general idea is that the first half of this story (the part that'll start in the chapter after this one) sort of tells how my original character, Olivia 'Phoenix' Carter, meets him and how they sort of form this 'bond' or whatever it is they ultimately form.**

**The second part is probably gonna be them meeting back up x amount of years later, and sort of reluctantly falling in love with one another, or something, with a few funny complications.**

**FYI,I do not know the guy personally, and anything I use is loosely based on his promos that he's done as Moxley and Ambrose over the past few years or different interviews he's done that I've seen or read online.**

**Again, I am not claiming that I do in fact know the guy. Nor am I making any kind of money off this. **

**Reviews are loved but seriously, be gentle with me, I've never tried to write anything like this, and it's going to be a series eventually, if I get enough feedback and the right kind of feedback.**


	2. Chapter 2

**(This is sort of a series of flashbacks explaining how my original person (Phoenix Carter) met Dean Ambrose/Jonathon Good for the first time and their odd 'friendship' as kids, how it changes through the years and stuff. I've seen a few of these kinds of stories around, I got inspired earlier, thought I'd give my own version a try. I'd been trying not to submit anything for the guy, because there's already so many ****_way better_**** ones here on the site, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone.**

**Reviews are loved people. If this little series gets enough reviews, I might be talked into submitting a fic I've been sort of working on lately, which they're both older, and they meet again.:) Just saying.)**

July 1992

(Dean – 7, Phoenix – 5)

The little boy glared at the other boys as they snickered when he swung the bat. "You hit like a girl." one of the boys said as Jonathon Good tried yet again to swing the bat, and yet again, he struck out.

He braced himself as the taunts began again, anything from "You suck" to "I've seen girls hit better than you."

He sneered as something in him snapped and he looked at the ringleader and said calmly, "Yeah? Well how's this for ya?" before hitting him in the gut with the wooden bat and turning, about to walk off. But the other boys attempted to jump on him and if not for the grown up on the playground who'd seen the whole thing coming over, breaking it up, he'd probably have gotten his ass kicked 9 ways to Sunday that day.

But that wasn't the worst part of his day. The worst part was when he went home with the black eyes, the busted lip and the torn Roddy Piper t shirt, and his mom, who was exactly 3 or four sheets to the wind at that particular point in time took the belt to him and then called him fat, lazy and stupid because he'd actually gotten hit.

Sniffling, he managed to make it onto the fire escape outside his window where he curled up into a ball and bit his lip hard, so he didn't cry, so that nobody heard him. The last thing he needed was for somebody to hear him and hurt him or tease him again.

What he wasn't expecting was to hear noises down in the alley, look down over the edge of his fire escape rail and find a girl not much older than him, down in the alley, on a skateboard, doing tricks that he'd seen older kids doing when the tv was getting good reception and he could pick up MTV.

He didn't mean to, but he dropped his jacket down onto the ground, it slipped off the rail.

The blonde little girl looked up and then bent, picking up the worn and holey jacket, then kicked up her skateboard, tucking it beneath her arm as she made her way up the ladder to his fire escape.

"You dropped it." she said quietly as she held out the jacket, looked at him and winced, seeing the bruises and the scars, the dried blood.

He snatched the jacket, sneered at her, "Get lost".

A smirk filled her face as she giggled and said "Or what, crybaby?" and stood there calmly, her wide green eyes daring him to make her get lost.

"Or I'll hurt ya. I can ya know."

"But ya won't." the girl replied calmly, if anything, sounding a little annoyed at him, not afraid like most of the girls in his own grade were.

"And why not?" he asked, leaning in, angry.

"Because.." she answered quietly as she shrugged then held out her hand.

"What do ya want?"

"Just c'mon." she said quietly as she looked at him while the arguing between his mother and one of her many 'boyfriends' filtered from inside the apartment, and out into the dark night.

He took hold of her smaller hand and she practically dragged him up the next fire escape, then into what had to have been her own room. He looked around, then asked her one question, "Why did ya bring me here?"

"Cause. Just shhh." she muttered quietly as she peeked out into the hallway of her moms apartment, looked up the hall then down, into the makeshift den. Her mom – a nurses assistant at the local hospital's emergency room- was still working, and it was just her brother, his idiot friends smoking a joint in the living room while the tv played with none of them watching it.

She turned back to him and gently shoved him so that he was sitting on her bed as she held a finger to heart shaped lips and muttered, "Stay right here, 'kay?"

He nodded, too much in shock at someone actually being nice to him to really say or do anything to make that stop like he usually would. "Okay."

She hurried down the hallway and into the kitchen, grabbing a zip loc bag, some ice cubes, the stuff her own mommy used on her 'ouchies', a few of her favorite bright neon bandaids, and a bag of Oreos, two sodas.

A few moments later, she burst back into her room, arms full and put the stuff down, drug her hot pink and neon green beanbag chair over to the much taller boy, busied herself cleaning out the few cuts, wiping off the blood.

"There. That better." she muttered shyly as she looked at him, biting her lip a moment, before holding out the bag of ice, pointing to his worst black eye. "My mommy a nurse. She would wan me to help ya."

He sat stunned as he looked at her, then asked quietly, "Can I have a drink?"

"I got ya one." she said as she held out the canned soda to him, then pointed to the vacant spot next to her on the beanbag while she tore at the packaging on the Oreos with her little teeth.

"My mommy workin nights this week. You stay here, 'kay?" she said in a bossy tone of voice as she looked at him with her hand on her hip.

"I can't." he said quietly as she glared then said "Well ya at least wait til those mean men outta you mommy's place."

"Fine." he muttered, not sure how to react to someone not wanting to hurt him for once.

"What are ya watchin?"

"Skatin. You wanna watch somethin else?" the little girl asked as she smiled brightly then said "Here. You pick." and handed him a remote.

He took it warily, flipped through the channels, finally found one of his favorite wrestling shows on and raised a brow as the little girl giggled and said casually, "You like this too?"

"You watch?"

She nodded excitedly then added, "Broke my arm on the trampoline at daddys in California tryna do it."

He laughed a little then asked quietly, "Whats ya name?"

"It Olivia Phoenix Carter. I'm five. What's ya name?"

"Johnathon Good. I'm seven."

"I call ya Jon, 'kay?"

"Whatever."

"Ya can call me Ollie or Phoenix."

"Ollie's a boys name."

The little blonde girl shrugged then said "Girls can have boys names, silly."

"No they can't."

"Yes they can, darn it."

He got the feeling she'd just argue this all night, so he just sat watching tv, for once thankful for the quiet, not having to listen to his mother and her guest.

The light snore had him looking over, and he realized that the pixie like little blonde who'd snuck him into her room, cleaned and bandaged him and given him oreos and a soda was asleep, leaning against him.

He tapped her awake, ignoring the dirty look she gave at being awoken, and then said quietly, "I'm gonna go home. I should be okay. I, err.. Thank ya." as he took his jacket, hurried down one ladder, then up the one that lead to his window, diving into bed in a hurry.

He lie there wondering why the little girl next door was being nice to him. Nobody else ever really was.

Little did either of them realize that one night was the beginning of a really, really long and quirky 'bond' of sorts.


	3. Chapter 3

**(This is sort of a series of flashbacks explaining how my original person (Phoenix Carter) met Dean Ambrose/Jonathon Good for the first time and their odd 'friendship' as kids, how it changes through the years and stuff. I've seen a few of these kinds of stories around, I got inspired earlier, thought I'd give my own version a try. I'd been trying not to submit anything for the guy, because there's already so many ****_way better_**** ones here on the site, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone.**

**Reviews are loved people. If this little series gets enough reviews, I might be talked into submitting a fic I've been sort of working on lately, which they're both older, and they meet again.:) Just saying.)**

July 1992

(Dean – 7, Phoenix – 5)

He lie on his bed, hands on his ears, trying to block out the sound of his mom and another one of her 'boyfriends' going at it in the next room. She'd locked him in here because she claimed that he was 'bad for business' and he needed to stay out of sight.

He heard Green Day, or a really shitty cover of Basket Case, rather, being played in that little blonde girl's apartment about the same time something was tossed through his open window and he heard a smallish thud accompanied by giggling, and her standing, shaking off the rain like a dog would.

"What the hell are ya doin in here?" he asked, looking at her with a raised brow as she shrugged and said "Too noisy."

"Yeah, well it's not any better over here."

"Wanna come down and watch me skate?"

"It's rainin."

"So? I plays in the rain all the time while my mommy at work. I can do anything I wanna as long as I stay out of my stupid big brother Joey's hair, he said." the pixie like blonde said as she looked at him, giving him this sort of commanding pout as she did so.

Again, like a few nights ago, he got the feeling that he either gave in, or he scared her off.. And he didn't really have any friends to play with, they all kept getting scared of him, or their moms wouldn't let them come over, because of his mom. Or they just liked to pick on him.

"Fine. But I better not get in any trouble cause I did." he asserted as he slid out the window behind her, followed her down the fire escape and sat watching her skate for a little while, wondering why of all people, she kept insisting she had to hang around him.

She wasn't his age, she was practically a baby if you really thought about it. Even if she was really bossy and acted at least 4 years older than both of them.

She zipped over and wiped out on the board, making him laugh. When she stood, growling, eyeing her makeshift ramp with an angry determined look on her face, he really doubled over. It felt good to laugh.

Even if she were annoying sometimes, at least she made him laugh a little bit. But when school started, he wondered if she'd keep doing this or if she'd make friends who weren't as 'bad' or 'weird' as him.

And they liked the same things.. But what were kids in his own grade going to say about his having a friend, and one who was at least two grades behind him?

He winced as he watched her take on the makeshift ramp, fall down again, tearing her too big baggy jeans.

"I gives up. Stupit brother. I told him to make it sturdier."

"He built that?"

The little girl nodded excitedly then said "He build stuff all the time. Where my daddy is, he built us a treehouse last summer."

"How old is he?"

"He 19." Olivia said as she bit her lip and then said quietly, "I'm scared of his friends."

"Why?"

Olivia shrugged and sat quietly, holding a kleenex on her knee, every now and then blowing on it. "Mommy gonna be mad. I ripped two pairs of jeans this week skatin." she muttered as she looked at the boy she was trying to befriend, leaning against him.

"Wanna go watch fireworks with me tonight? My brother said he take us." Olivia asked, pleading with her eyes. Her brother was doing this, of course, because their mother had met some guy who worked at the hospital she worked at, and Joey, well..

He didn't like the guy for some reason. So if their mom brought the guy home, like she had been more lately, he'd take Olivia to the park, or out skating (he called it tagging, he liked to spraypaint the sides of run down buildings) or to a movie, or anywhere that the man wasn't at.

And he didn't like Ms. Good, either. Said that her 'little boyfriend' deserved better than the shit he had to live in.

So he'd offered to take Olivia and of course her new friend places while their own mom worked double even triple shifts at the hospital or the guy was over.

Jon sat quietly, thinking it over. His ma wouldn't even know he was gone, really, she'd either be drunk or high, or entertaining one of the many men who were in and out of the apartment. It's not like any of the other kids could or wanted to play with him, even.

And she had bandaged him up a few nights ago.

"Okay."

"Good."

He looked at her a few moments then took the kleenex and pressed it against her knee as he said calmly, "Ya weren't holdin it hard enough."

Olivia blushed a little and then nodded, leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He blinked, confused. Why in the hell had she just done that?

"Why are ya bein nice to me?"

And as usual, when he asked her that, he got a shrug as an answer, as if maybe she didn't even really know the answer to his question.

The rest of the day sort of flew by, really, they snuck down to the park and hung upside down from the monkey bars, tried to play catch (olivia wasn't good at baseball at all), and then around 4, an older boy walked over to them on the playground, and smirking said "You guys ready?"

"Joey, this Jon. Jon, this Joey." Olivia said as she looked from her brother to her 'crush' and back again, smiling brightly. "He like watching fights on tv too." she told Joey excitedly, and Joey smirked as he asked, "That true, kid?"

Jon nodded quietly. He wasn't sure about talking to older kids, they usually wanted to pick on him or beat him up or something. But Joey seemed okay..

"Cool. Show comes to Ohio sometimes. I'm gonna do that shit one day, actually." Joey said as he lead the two kids down the street to the area where they were doing the fireworks show and said "Best seat is under the tree.. It's where ma and dad used to sit with me when we lived here the first time, Ollie." as he spread out a tarp, flopped down on it carelessly.

He almost felt bad for the kid his baby sister bought with her. Every time he thought of what that kid's mother put him through, it made him sick. And he'd been her, sneaking down the hallway a few nights ago, arms full of bandages, neosporin, peroxide, cookies and two sodas. When he asked about it, of course, Ollie came clean and told him she'd gotten the boy next door away from his mommy for a while.

Then again, his baby sister, she was always trying to take care of something. There'd been a kitten once, in the alley. Despite allergies, she hid the damn thing in her room, in a Vans shoe box, fed it and kept water or milk for it.

The three of them sat watching fireworks quietly.

For a little while, Jon actually felt sort of normal. But the dread of his going back home was there, as always, in the back of his mind.

All too soon, it was time for him to sneak back in his window. As usual, she followed him up the ladder, and made sure he got inside without being caught. Tonight though, she hugged him and then said calmly, "I have fun with you." before turning and sliding down the latter in a hurry, going into her own room next door.

He flopped onto his bed, shoved his head under the pillow and smiled a little. But he still wasn't sure how things would go when they were both in school again in the fall.. What if she made friends and then realized how bad and how weird he was?


	4. Chapter 4

**(This is sort of a series of flashbacks explaining how my original person (Phoenix Carter) met Dean Ambrose/Jonathon Good for the first time and their odd 'friendship' as kids, how it changes through the years and stuff. I've seen a few of these kinds of stories around, I got inspired earlier, thought I'd give my own version a try. I'd been trying not to submit anything for the guy, because there's already so many ****_way better_**** ones here on the site, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone.**

**Reviews are loved people. If this little series gets enough reviews, I might be talked into submitting a fic I've been sort of working on lately, which they're both older, and they meet again.:) Just saying.)**

October 1992

(Dean – 7, Phoenix – 5)

So they'd been in school for a while now and so far, his luck was holding with the little blonde in the apartment next door. They fought a lot, argued and stuff, but as yet, she hadn't turned her back on him. But Jon was still very wary, and he kept asking her why she was so nice to him, but every time he did, she'd shrug and refuse to answer.

Tonight was Halloween, and considering his mother hadn't gotten him a costume, he was the only kid out that night not wearing a costume.. Until Olivia came down dressed in plain clothes too.

"It's Halloween? Why aren't ya wearin a costume?"

"Because mommy wanted me to be a stupit princess, is why.. Do I look wike a princess to ya?" Olivia asked, her hand on her hip, the usual bossy smirk on her face as she looked at him and then asked, "Why aren't ya wearing one?"

"Because it's for babies."

Olivia frowned a moment. Was he calling her a baby? She tried not to let it bother her, because she knew his mom had probably forgotten or just not gotten him one, and he was hurt, being a jerk to cover it up. They'd been friends a while now, so she ignored his 'stupid moments' as she called them.

Like the week before when she had to sit around watching him flirt with a girl named Sophie, who of course poured chocolate milk over his head. She bit her lip.. He'd never notice her, because all of the girls in his own grade were so much prettier, they were girly and they didn't like skateboarding or wrestling or any of the stuff she liked.

She'd pretty much accepted the fact that if she wanted to be a part of Jon's life? She'd have to play "second". And it was fine with her for now, because she was still at that age where girls wanted to marry their fathers, or they thought boys were nasty.

The two of them rounded the corner, and the taller boy stepped out, smirking at them, his arms crossed. "Hmm.. Let's see what kind of candy you two got."

"Touch my candies and I kick your ass." the little blonde girl said as Jon stepped forward, glaring. "Ya not gettin my candy. Scram, Lavont. I ain't scared of ya."

"Bet your little girlfriend is, Good.. That's ya name, right? Your mama's that really sexy lady down on the right corner?"

He clenched his fist, popping his knuckles, the anger surging. It wasn't because of what the older boy said about his mom entirely, but that was a big part of it.. Even if she treated him like shit, she was still his mother, it was ingrained in the psyche that he at least had to try and stand up for her.

Even when he really didn't want to.

Before either of them could say anything, Olivia's older brother Joey spoke up as he said "Hey Lavont? Piss off." and then looked down at the two kids as he said casually, "Forgot your flashlight, Ollie."

"He took Jon's candy!"

"Yeah, I know.. It's better you two leave that jackass alone.. Sooner or later, someone's gonna beat the hell out of that guy." Joey said as he looked around. The cops had been chasing him just now, he'd been caught vandalizing the high school and he was in a gang of sorts that'd been involved in a really big fight at the park about an hour or two ago. But he wasn't the kind of big brother who'd just leave his baby sister unattended on a night like this, outside the worst street in Ohio.

"Come on you two. Let's go." Joey said in a rush as he grabbed hold of the two kids, lead them to the apartment that he and his sister, their mother lived in. "Ouch, Joey."

"We gotta move, Ollie, now. The pigs were on my ass because they caught me doin somethin." Joey said calmly, as they stepped into the window of his little sister's room and answered his cell phone, whispering quietly before looking at the little boy with his baby sister..

"Hey Jon?"

"Yeah?"

" Keep an eye on my sister a minute, okay, buddy?" Joey asked as he looked at the 7 year old boy and then took off down the hallway.

"He's actin funny." Jon remarked as Olivia bit her lip and said quietly, "I scared.. He was fightin earlier.. And the boy he was fightin said he gonna get back at him."

Jon studied the little girl a moment, then said quietly, "Just sit here. Joey told me to watch ya. Meant he didn't want ya to leave the room, okay?"

Ollie nodded with wide eyes. The sounds of a fight from the alley below had her gasping, and the next thing she knew, she was hearing gunshots.

Jon winced and covered the smaller girls ears then said "I'm gonna look out the window. Ya stay there." before creeping over to the window, looking down. He could see Joey standing there, holding his arm, shocked.

Biting his lip, he turned to Olivia and then said "The cops.. I think they're takin Joey to jail."

"What? can't. It not his fault!" Olivia insisted as Jon grabbed her, kept her from going to her bedroom window. He stiffened as he felt her arms going around him, heard her sniffling. He had no idea what on earth to do or say right now.

He'd never known anyone who'd gotten thrown in jail before tonight..

"Hey.. It's gonna be okay.. I'm sure ya mom will get him out or something.." he tried as Olivia shook her head and then said quietly, "She's not gonna.. He been in trouble before. She say this was his last chance to straighten up and whatever happens to him is on him to fix."

They sat there in her room, and he tried to figure out how to deal with a crying female.. But she'd been there for him, now it was his turn to be there for her.. Since she was still his friend, and she hadn't even turned on him when he'd gotten sent to the office earlier for getting in a fight with a boy, and losing it violently like he had, right in front of her on the playground.

The door to the apartment opening had them looking at one another with wide eyes, still shocked from what'd happened a few moments before.

"Ollie? Are you in here, baby girl?" her mother called from the hallway, worried her son had had Olivia out in what he'd done just now, her heart racing..

The voice from behind her, drunk and angry had her rolling her eyes in disgust and the mother of Jon, the boy next door and the closest thing to a friend her daughter really had for some reason said "Is that little shit I call a son over here?"

Ms. Carter turned on her heel and said with a grim smirk, "If he is, then he's better off. I have more than enough on my plate right now, Ms. Good so if I were you? I'd get my drunk ass back down the hallway. Go entertain your visitor or something. Women like you really really piss me off."

Jon's mother glared at her and then yelled, "Jon if ya in there, son, ya in a world of hurt when you come ya little ass back home."

"Oh no.. No he's not.. Because if he's here, he probably just saved my daughters life.. Because if he hadn't been here, escaping your abuse and neglect, Ms. Good.. She'd have been out with her brother tonight, probably watched what just happened, first hand. Now if you'll fucking excuse me.. I have to get Ollie ready to go to the hospital. My son needs me.. And despite the fact that he's screwed up his life.. I am his mother, and I intend to be there. Your son will be coming with us.. I have a right mind to stop by the police precinct, Ms Good, and tell those boys in blue just how you treat that poor little boy.. And if you mess with me tonight? I just might do it. This is a warning.. Next time, you won't have a son to beat on anymore, because I'll make sure he goes somewhere that he's taken care of."

Olivia looked at Jon and muttered, "Sorry I got ya in trouble."

"Ya didn't.. My ma.. She's always doin that." Jon muttered as Olivia hugged against him and said quietly, "Thank ya for not lettin me go to the window."

"Ya didn't need to see it." he muttered as he added, "Thank ya for stickin up for me at school earlier, even if nobody believed ya, and I still got blamed for startin the fight."

"Ya didn't. People so stupit." she muttered as she stood and then held out her hand, managing a smile. She was terrified right now, but she felt a lot better having him there with her.

Her mother poked her head into the room and then said calmly, "Okay you two.. Coats now.. Jon, I have one of Joey's old ones you can wear. I noticed yours is pretty damn thin, kid. You're about the same size as my son was when he was that age.."

She motioned for the boy to follow her, and she lead him into her oldest child's room, then dug around, found a pile of clothes. "Go put those on. Give me the ones you're wearing. They should have been thrown out by now."

"My ma.. She can't.."

"No, Jon, it's not that she can't sweetie, it's that she won't. But I'll tell you personally like I've told Ollie and Joey.. If you ever need somewhere to go, come here."

He nodded. Olivia's mother was a pretty bossy lady. Must be where Ollie got it from.

The drive to the ER was a quiet one, but he and Ollie sat in the backseat, playing Ollie's gameboy, so they didn't need to talk.

Jon could tell that Ollie's mother was afraid and nervous, so he tried his best not to get in the way, and to keep Ollie out of the way while they waited on the doctors.

As they left, after Joey had gotten stitched up, Olivia's mother sighed and hugged her oldest son then said quietly, "Please, Joey.. Change now?" as the police lead him off in handcuffs. He had to go to jail until they figured out what'd happened in the alley earlier tonight.

On the way back out to the car, Olivia's mother asked quietly, "Did either of you see anything?" in concern as she looked at the two children. Both of them shook their heads and told her they hadn't. She breathed a deep breath of relief and helped them into the car.

Tonight, maybe he'd finally gotten even with Ollie for helping him so many times.. He'd tried to be there for her.. He didn't realize that all he had to do was just be there.. That's all the little girl wanted from him, really.


	5. Chapter 5

**(This is sort of a series of flashbacks explaining how my original person (Phoenix Carter) met Dean Ambrose/Jonathon Good for the first time and their odd 'friendship' as kids, how it changes through the years and stuff. I've seen a few of these kinds of stories around, I got inspired earlier, thought I'd give my own version a try. I'd been trying not to submit anything for the guy, because there's already so many ****_way better_**** ones here on the site, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone.**

**Reviews are loved people. If this little series gets enough reviews, I might be talked into submitting a fic I've been sort of working on lately, which they're both older, and they meet again.:) Just saying.)**

November 1992

(Dean – 7, Phoenix – 5)

She paced the alley, looking up at Jon's apartment, biting her thumbnail. She knew he'd gotten into big trouble earlier at school, and she knew that his mother came to check him out, and she knew that his mother hadn't been happy about it, either. The day after that had passed by really, really slow and the second the final bell rang, she'd raced out of the brick walls of the elementary school, zipped down the sidewalk on her skateboard towards the apartments.

She heard the shouts and yelling, then winced as she heard the sharp sound of hand hitting flesh, heard a thud as something hit the floor. A few moments later, she saw his window slide open, saw him stepping out onto the fire escape, so she made her way up.

"Are ya okay?"

"No."

"Lemme see, Jon."

"No. Just go home, okay?"

"I'm not leavin ya. Let me see what happened." Olivia said again as she bent down, tore his hand away from his face and winced at the fresh bruises. Grabbing his hand, she practically dragged him down his fire escape then up the one leading to her room as she grumbled in anger, under her breath.

Jon stopped her and then asked, "Why do ya care? Remember earlier? Ya were real mad at me. What happened to that?"

Olivia studied him a moment then sighed as she said quietly, "Oh.. I still mad at ya. But there's nothin I can do to change what ya did at school earlier. Ya mommy makes me madder."

She filled a ziploc bag with ice after going to her kitchen to get it, then came back to her room and sat down on the older and bigger boys knees to hold it directly on the bruise. "If ya wonderin.. I not mad at ya anymore. I know ya liked her and it hurt ya when she read that letter to ya whole class, laughin about it. I just wish.." Olivia muttered as she bit her lip and kept quiet.

He was right. She was 5 and babyish. Besides, he was her best friend, her only friend, and she wasn't going to give that up, or risk losing that.

She needed him around and he needed her around whether he admitted this to himself or anyone else, ever, or not. When you're 5, things are a lot simpler, the complications of 'loving' someone maybe a little too much don't weigh as heavily as they would say if you were maybe 14 or so..

But when she got older, she had the sneaking suspicion she'd wind up watching him with other girls, prettier ones, from the background. But she shoved it out of her mind most of the time. Besides.. Nobody really knows they love someone and really love them, at that age, right?

"Ya wish what?" Jon asked as he looked at her intently. He wondered if she wished what he wished sometimes. But he, of course, kept quiet, because he'd seen her getting really close with a better boy then him at school, and being her best friend, being protective of her, naturally, he thought that anyone besides himself would be a better option.

"Nothin, 'kay?" Olivia said quietly as she put the zip loc bag full of ice against his black eye and said in a lower and angry growl, "I hate her. When she hits ya. I just.. I wanna hit her back too."

"I'm fine, Ollie." Jon said patiently as he managed a brave smirk then said "Takes a lot more than that to hurt me, 'member?"

"That what scare me."

He looked at her a minute, then said quietly, "Thanks, again.."

"For what?"

"For stickin around."

"Ya my friend, stupit.. Why wouldn't I?" Olivia asked, keeping her tone friendly, light, keeping a smile on her face as she said this.

"So.. What'd I miss when my ma came got me?"

"Just me punchin somebody." Olivia giggled as she looked at him, watched him laugh a little. "Who'd ya punch?"

"That stupit girl ya wrote the letter to.. Because she didn't have to do what she did. She coulda just said 'don't like ya' left it alone. didn't have to tell those boys so they'd beat ya up."

Jon laughed a little, Olivia slid off his lap and then said quietly, "Let just watch WWF, 'kay? I don't feels like talkin." as she flopped down onto her neon colored bean bag chair, turned on the tv. The less they talked about this weirdness lately, the more time they spent together.. The better off they'd both be.

Jon slid down onto the beanbag chair, propped on his elbows and started to watch the show. About halfway through the program, he happened to look over, see her asleep on the beanbag next to him. Quietly, he stood up, pulled her scooby doo blanket off her bed and put it over her before sliding out her bedroom window and going back home for the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**(This is sort of a series of flashbacks explaining how my original person (Phoenix Carter) met Dean Ambrose/Jonathon Good for the first time and their odd 'friendship' as kids, how it changes through the years and stuff. I've seen a few of these kinds of stories around, I got inspired earlier, thought I'd give my own version a try. I'd been trying not to submit anything for the guy, because there's already so many ****_way better_**** ones here on the site, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone.**

**Reviews are loved people. If this little series gets enough reviews, I might be talked into submitting a fic I've been sort of working on lately, which they're both older, and they meet again.:) Just saying.)**

November 1992

(Dean – 7, Phoenix – 5)

She glared at him, her lower lip poking out as he looked at her and asked, "What?"

"Ya make me so mad sometimes, I just... gahhh. Go away." Olivia muttered as she pulled her knees up to her chin, put her head down, her arms around her head and her knees so she wasn't looking at him. The reason she was mad at Jon today was because he was in one of those moods where everything made him mad, everything was wrong, and twice he'd yelled at her, because some stupid boy from three blocks over wanted to ride her Batman BMX bike.

So she was moody too, but it wasn't completely Jon's fault. Her father had been calling her mother, threatening to make her leave and come to live with him, and Olivia, well..

She didn't want that happening. Neither did her mother because her father was about like her older brother Joey, he just got involved in more grown up and dangerous messes when he messed up. And her mother left for that very reason, as well as many others.

She just hadn't been able to take it, her father's lying, his drinking and the way he'd say one thing and do another, he'd promise to change and he'd go right back to the way he was before he made the promise, if not worse.

"What the hell is wrong with ya?" Jon asked as he flopped down beside her, prying her arms away from her head, making her look him in the eyes. Something had been eating at her for the better part of two days now, even three and she seemed like she were starting to distance herself from him or something, which had him worried more than anything right now.

Because now that she was doing this, distancing herself, he was realizing just how much he actually liked having the younger girl around him, how much he needed her just to keep from losing it completely.

She kept him grounded and sane and he protected her from the bigger boys who tried to hurt her, the bullies and the cats.

They were both scared of spiders, but Olivia was also afraid of cats. He never asked why, he usually just made them get away from her.

Olivia looked at him and said quietly, "Just go way."

"No."

"Fine. I go then." she said as she stood, sniffling, turning away so he wouldn't see her about to cry, because in their entire friendship, she hadn't really cried in front of him once.

His hand caught her hand and he turned her around, looked at her with hurt and confusion in his eyes. Olivia bit her lip and then sat back down and said quietly, "My daddy.. he tryin to take me from my mama.. he tryin to make me move all the way to stupit California."

"Ya can't."

"If I has to, I don't have a choice." she said dully as he hugged her and then asked, "So ya weren't trying to ditch me?"

"What? No you idget." Olivia said as she hugged against him and looked up at him, playfully swatting his forehead. He swatted her forehead back and they started wrestling each other, stopping when the old lady from the apartment on the ground level poked her head out the door and shooed them away from the alley, warning, "It's gettin dark. Best get ya little asses indoors."

They sat in his room quietly, drinking juice, both of them afraid that her father was going to win and make her leave.. Olivia finally said "My mommy won't let him and a judge would have to be stupit to give me to 'im. He not a good guy."

Jon nodded and said quietly, "From what my ma says when she drinks, my dad wasn't either. He skipped town."

"Jon, that's bad.. I.. I sorry."

"Yeah? Well I don't need 'im or my mama."

"You got me."

"Mhmm. And you got me." Jon said as he held out his pinkie, linked it with her pinkie and grinned a little. Deep down, it did hurt the boy that his parents were what they were, but sometimes, he spent so much time at Olivia's mom's house, he sort of pretended that she was his mother..

Or that he could just stay there, not have to go home.


End file.
